


sweet lips on my lips

by world_enough



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Genre: 45th century, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Colony world, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Goats, Janto centric, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Jack Harkness, Post-Episode: s02e13 Exit Wounds, Space Colony, day to day life, divergence after season 2, soft Janto, tags are really hard folks but i promise this fic is worth it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:35:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27255799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/world_enough/pseuds/world_enough
Summary: Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, and a very new life that looked nothing like their old one.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 14
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the intro chapter:

The problem with psychic species, especially those that were hellbent on world domination, is that they could leave a nasty scar. Instant irreparable damage, and all for the low, low price of absolutely _nothing_. The arcateenian didn’t even get anywhere before Gwen put a bullet in its brain. It was all so useless.

Jack never told Gwen that her action may have been the one that doomed Ianto, that cutting off an already unstable telepathic bond was bad. Instead, all he had done was tell her to mind the hub, because he was taking Ianto to the future. He stole Gray’s old vortex manipulator, grabbed on to Ianto, and jumped ahead to the fifty second century, to the choice hospital of the time agency back when it still existed.

He planned on going back someday, back to Gwen, Torchwood, and the twenty first century. Emphasis on someday, because he planned on staying with Ianto for the rest of this lifetime. He didn’t like to think about that idea very much. It wasn’t his idea of a great time to think of a time where Ianto didn’t exist, either the old Ianto, or this brand new Ianto.

Actually, it had taken Jack a while to get used to the idea that the old Ianto was gone and wasn’t coming back. The entire time Ianto had been in the hospital, in fact. Jack had broken down exactly twice, got over it, and learned to move on. Ianto needed him. He needed Ianto. That was the only thing that mattered anymore.

When Ianto was released from the hospital, Jack brought him to a forty fifth century colony world called Tycho Prime. At the time, it seemed like it was the best option for both of them. Raising and herding goats on gentle, grassy hills was a far better life than the one Ianto could have back in the twenty first century. There was no pressure here, without the hustle and bustle and drive, where the only important thing was getting to the market on the right day. It was possible to truly live a fulfilling life on Tycho. So really, Jack had made the right call.

They had a small house on the farthest edge of the town, where the goats would have places to roam and they wouldn’t be bothered by many people. The hills sloped up and down for a short way before they completely cut off into a cliff over the sea. Jack was certain he couldn’t live anywhere that wasn’t right next to water. Here, the Boeshane Peninsula, Cardiff… even the time agency quarters were right above a wide river. Jack loved the soothing motions of the waves, loved to listen to the water crashing against the beaches in the morning. He would stand right at the edge of the goat fence, a foot away from the cliff’s edge, taking it all in with a cup of his own futuristic coffee derivative in his hand and the salty sea wind in his face. Ianto sometimes joined him, but only if the goats were near the cliff. He preferred watching the goats to watching the sun rise. Ianto really liked his goats.

The house itself was something the old Ianto would describe as a “hobbit hole.” Everything about it was round. The door was a circle, the windows were circles, the larger rooms were circular, and the large bed was a circle. It was all so very welcoming. The size of it made everything comfortable too. It had one bedroom on one side, a large kitchen-dining-living room in the center, and a bathroom on the other side. A small mudroom sat just beyond the door, where Jack and Ianto set their boots and coats after a long day in the fields. Honestly the entire place felt surreal and dreamlike. Jack had planted a small garden in the back to complete the picturesque scene.

Ianto was not allowed in the garden. Any time Jack let Ianto back there while he was working on weeding or something, Ianto would snitch any and all produce he could find and eat it right on the spot. It had been sweet at first, before Ianto had turned into a vegetable stealing menace. In order to save his poor beans and peppers, Jack had to ban him from the area.

Of all of the small pieces of the old Ianto still left in the new one, like instantly trusting and clinging to Jack (which had been a problem at the hospital, because Ianto had _only_ trusted Jack) or liking the color red (Ianto now almost exclusively wore red shirts), this was the least like him. Jack used to have to fight to get Ianto to eat his greens for the sake of his cholesterol, but now Ianto ate almost anything Jack put in front of him, especially the vegetables. Ianto particularly liked longbeans, the future’s version of a green bean. When Jack sent Ianto to the marketplace, he had to make sure Ianto bought twice the amount of longbeans, because by the time he came home, half of them would have already been eaten. The one time Ianto had come home with the full two scoops of longbeans, Jack had immediately gotten worried. He had stored the food quickly, then taken Ianto out to the goat fields, where they stood side by side for a while before Ianto turned, buried his face in Jack’s shoulder, and cried for an hour straight. Then Jack had taken him home and to bed. The next morning, Ianto was his usual self, except for the fact that he woke up extra early to sneak the longbeans from storage. Jack had woken up to see him munching away and figured all was well again in Ianto-land. Jack never did find out what had disturbed Ianto. He was perfectly happy to go to the market again a few days later, so Jack gathered nothing too traumatizing had occurred.

That was another good thing about the Tycho colony. Ianto was the quiet and simple goatherder who lived with his caring husband, and that was all that mattered to the people of the town. Nobody bothered them. Everybody left them alone, free to live life the way they wanted. The only people who came around were those who wanted to purchase goats on non-market days, the few children who wanted to see the goats, especially newborn goats, and the couple of friends Jack invited over occasionally. Not _those_ kinds of friends, of course. Jack wouldn’t do that to Ianto. Contrary to popular belief, Jack Harkness could live without sex. He was plenty happy enough with life the way it was.

Anyway, people were either very kind to Ianto or just ignored him. Jack thanked the stars for that- when they had first arrived, he was worried that they would shun him or take advantage of him, or something worse. That luckily had not been the case. Those who ran the booths the two of them frequented at the marketplace knew their standard orders and how much it cost, so every time Ianto went to the market alone, there was always someone to help with the things he didn’t quite understand. And the kids Jack had been worried about (because there was always that one gang of wayward teens in colonies- Jack should know, as he used to be in one of them) apparently would rather play pranks on people who deserved them. The people who came by to look at goats were nice enough to Ianto, though they mostly payed him no heed, preferring to talk to only Jack as they handled the transactions. The children who came by to see the goat kids loved Ianto, and Ianto seemed to do all right with the children. They liked to hold his hand as he took them to see the nicest, calmest goats. Jack sometimes watched him take children out, both because he knew their goats were temperamental little shits and he wanted to make sure that the children came out unscathed, and because it was so damned cute to see Ianto and the children together.

So really, life was idea in every sense. Jack loved it. He loved the colony, he loved his house, he loved the sea, he loved the goats, and most of all, he loved Ianto. He loved Ianto so much. Thus, everything was almost perfect. _Almost_.

Because there were still those nights where Jack wakes up in a fright, scared of the monsters of his past, and he has to hold on tight to a still asleep Ianto, who is always curled up as close to Jack as physically possible, despite their large bed. It never abated the nightmares, but it was always better knowing Ianto was there. Ianto was a small patch of steadiness in Jack’s constantly shifting realities. As long as he had his arms around Ianto, he could make it, and that was what kept him sane.

And there were those mornings when Ianto would wake up, haunted by the horrifying traces that the arcateenian left behind, terrifying images and thoughts that he could never get out of his mind. Jack never really knew what to do, because there was no way to fix it, no way to drive the terrors from Ianto’s mind for good, not even with the limited telepathy that all fifty first century humans had (emphasis on limited- Jack dared not use it, because there was every chance he would mess up Ianto’s mind even more). To make up for what he couldn’t do, he let Ianto bury his face in his shoulder and sob until there was no more tears left to cry, and Ianto had calmed himself down enough to get up and eat breakfast.

There were also mishaps along the way, days where Jack had a hard time remembering where and when he was, and days where Ianto seemed to struggle with things he could normally comprehend. Days where either one of them could be reduced to tears in the blink of an eye.

But, no matter how hard it got sometimes, they made it through. They had each other. Ianto had Jack and Jack had Ianto. They were enough. That was all that mattered, in the end.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really just want this to be the gentlest fic possible.

Jack blinked awake. It was barely dawn. Why was he waking up when it was this early? For a moment, lucid thoughts escaped him, and he floundered about for reality. Then Ianto snored gently beside him and everything came crashing back. That’s right, Gyles from the other side of town was looking to buy a milking goat in a little bit. Jack had to get up and make sure everything was in order.

Sitting up, he scrubbed at his face, erasing the last traces of sleep from his eyes. A snuffling snore came from his right and Jack pulled his hands from his face, grinning. Adorable. Jack rolled back over onto his stomach, stretching himself around Ianto’s tightly curled form and pressing his face into Ianto’s hair. Fuck, his hair was soft. The sonic shower made Ianto’s hair downier than a newborn chick. One of Jack’s favorite things was sticking his face in Ianto’s soft hair and inhaling the natural smell of the other man. It felt so wonderful.

When he had had his fill of Ianto’s beautiful hair, he sat up again and gently shook Ianto.

“Time to get up,” he told the sleeping man.

Ianto moaned and flipped over onto his other side, somehow managing to furl over into a smaller ball. Jack smiled even wider to himself as he bent down to press a kiss to Ianto’s cheek.

“We’ve got to get up,” he murmured into Ianto’s skin. “Mister Gyles is coming to get a goat today.”

That woke Ianto up. His eyes shot open, a frown working its way onto his face. Jack brushed a hand over the crinkled brow.

“Come on,” Jack said, helping him sit up.

The moment he was sitting, Ianto pitched forward and buried his face in Jack’s shoulder. Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto, resting his head on Ianto’s velvety hair. Ianto hated when they sold off goats. If they lived the way Ianto wanted, they would have so many goats that they would cover each and every micrometer of the hills, and they would never get rid of a single one. However, that was neither feasible nor sustainable, plus Jack did not think he could handle that many goats.

“I know you don’t like it,” Jack whispered after a while. “But I’m sure Mister Gyles will take good care of the goat.”

He said that about every goat they sold, whether it was a meat goat or dairy goat, though one would certainly live a longer and happier life than the other. Jack wasn’t sure if Ianto knew which ones the meat or dairy goats were (Jack did the milking of the dairy goats they kept when they needed the milk), or if he even _cared_ which was which. Ianto loved his goats equally, and Jack didn’t want him to worry about any one of them when they were sold.

Eventually, Ianto pulled back with a heaved sigh. Jack cupped his cheeks and kissed his forehead before helping him up to his feet so that they could begin the day.

They skipped breakfast, because consoling Ianto had taken longer than was originally planned. Not that it mattered much. They would have time for it later, after Gyles was off with his goat.

“Thanks for meeting me so early,” Gyles said when they were standing in the middle of the field. “Have to go fix the Preston’s roof in an hour, so I can finish before it rains.”

“Give Arti our love,” Jack said. Arti Preston was always kind to Ianto at the marketplace.

“Will do,” Gyles said awkwardly. Jack supposed delivering messages of fondness were not one of the things Gyles was accustomed to. “Now. About the goat.”

Jack took Ianto’s hand and they lead Gyles out to where the goat herd had been yesterday. It had only moved a little way from where they had left it last night. Ianto’s grip got tighter on Jack’s hand as they got closer to the herd, and Jack stifled a sigh.

When they were beside the herd, Jack pointed out the young dairy goats they were willing (or Jack was willing) to part with, and Gyles started inspecting each and every one. Jack took a moment to watch the sun finish rising. They weren’t by the cliff, but there was a strong breeze that carried the salty aroma over the hills, hitting Jack’s nose sharply with its chilled bite. Tycho had three seasons: a rainy and chilly one, a dry and chilly one, and a warm one. It was getting closer to the slightly colder, rainier season. It wasn’t a winter, more of an autumn, but it was certainly colder than the warm months. Cold enough to don a thicker coat, anyway.

Ianto’s hand suddenly squeezed Jack’s, and Jack glanced over to him. He had a distraught look on his face, and he was staring at the goats. Actually, not the goats. Just one goat.

Sighing, Jack slid closer to Ianto, pulling his hand from Ianto’s and wrapping his arm around Ianto instead.

“He’s not going to take Owen,” Jack told him.

Ianto did not look appeased, and Jack figured he probably wouldn’t until Gyles stepped away from the small patch of goats containing the billy goat.

Jack didn’t know why Ianto loved that goat so much. Owen, named for his grumpy attitude and tendency to headbutt Ianto’s knees, was a horrible goat that Jack would gladly get rid of. But Ianto had somehow developed a strong attachment, and there was no way Jack could part with the curmudgeonly billy goat now. 

Gyles eventually beckoned Jack close. Ianto trailed anxiously behind as Jack joined him amongst the small group of goats. He pointed down at a young goat Jack liked to call Melissa.

“This one will do,” he said.

A small, sinking feeling resided in Jack’s chest. He had grown rather fond of little Melissa. He remembered her birth like it was yesterday. He found himself understanding Ianto’s reluctance about Gyles standing too close to Owen now- he did not particularly like the idea of losing one of his favorite goats either. That’s not to say he understood why it was _Owen_ Ianto liked. He didn’t think he would ever understand that.

Jack looked over to Ianto now, watching as Ianto’s eyes darted between Gyles, Melissa and Owen.

“Deal,” Jack said to Gyles, if only to stop Ianto from worrying.

Gyles took another look at Melissa, running a final inspection over her body, lifting her legs to check her toes, checking the clarity of her eyes. Jack looked on as he did so, reaching a hand up to rub calming circles on Ianto’s back. He chanced a glance over to Ianto for a moment, heartened to see that Ianto seemed less concerned about Owen, sorry to see that the concern was now being directed at little Melissa instead.

“Want to say goodbye?” Jack asked.

Ianto looked at him with wide eyes, and Jack turned back to Gyles.

“Do you mind?”

“Uh. No,” Gyles said, somewhat awkward both in expression and response. “Go ahead.”

Jack nodded to Ianto, who immediately dropped to a crouch in the grass, reaching out and pulling Melissa into a hug. Jack winced as Ianto placed his face right in the goat’s grimy hair. Well, at least he wouldn’t get sick, not with the futuristic medicines. It was still disgusting though. Ianto would have to wash his face off before he ate breakfast later.

When Jack felt it was an appropriate time for both Ianto to say good bye and Gyles to feel uncomfortable, he tapped Ianto’s shoulder. Ianto looked up at him with such a sorrowful look that his heart broke and melted at the same time but he did not relent. Ianto sighed and stood up, and Gyles slipped a rope around Melissa’s neck. Gyles stuck a hand in his pocket, rooted around there a while, then pulled the hand out with a few coins.

“What did we settle on?”

“Seven piece.”

Gyles stared at him for a moment. Normally, Jack would settle for five, but this was _Melissa_ they were talking about. Besides, Jack and Ianto were the only goatherders in the settlement. They could charge whatever they wanted for their goats. And it wasn’t as though Gyles didn’t have the money for it. As the town’s only roofer, he got paid plenty when the harsh winds and pouring rains came through. He’ll be making a fortune in a month, with the way this rainy season is starting out. Jack and Ianto shouldn’t need his help. Their house was a sod roof house, so they would not be expecting any leakages. Jack had only needed his help once, back when they first moved in, to see if the roof would keep. It was probably why the man was so uncomfortable around them- he had never seen them more than twice prior and undoubtedly was unsure of Ianto. Jack tried to keep from rolling his eyes at the man and his awkwardness when Ianto stuck out his hand to take the coins. Jack nodded to Gyles, and he dropped the seven piece into Ianto’s outstretched hand. Jack reached out and closed Ianto’s fist around the coins before they fell to the grass.

Jack patted the hand. “Don’t lose that.”

Ianto clutched his fist close to his chest. Jack smiled, but it fell from his face as soon as he returned his focus to Gyles and the goat.

“Take care of her,” Jack warned.

Gyles nodded curtly to Jack, glanced briefly at Ianto, then began to lead Melissa away from the heard. Ianto gave a sad, little sigh. Jack went to give him a kiss before he remembered, right, Ianto just had his face all over a goat.

“Come on,” Jack told him, taking his free hand. “Let’s go get you some breakfast.”

They followed after Gyles, both of their eyes trained on the little goat as it disappeared over a hill just beyond the house, the last hill before the flat plane of the rest of the town and farms. It was official then. Melissa was gone.

“Go wash your face,” Jack instructed when they were back inside the house.

Ianto skulked off to the bathroom, while Jack went and washed his hands in the kitchen sink. He did not understand why the other taps in the house carried water, but the shower was sonic. He asked Grette from next door (the cattle farm), but she had no answer for him. It just was the way it was, she had said with a shrug.

Grette and her husband were some of the kindest people here. Once, Jack had tried to take Ianto on a vacation, and they had offered to have their eldest daughter watch the goats when they were gone. They had not actually gone on the vacation though, because Ianto had taken a few steps into the space ship and promptly turned right back around and walked out. Jack had followed him out, only to find him frowning up at the space ship, so he took Ianto’s hand and led him back home. Ianto wasn’t one for space travel in tight spaces, it would seem. But they had thanked the daughter and the rest of the family by gifting them some goat milk and the promise of goat cheese, when Jack finally caught the hang of making it.

When he was finished washing his hands, he began rummaging through the cupboards for breakfast. He wasn’t sure what to make today. “Something Ianto liked” was hardly a real option, because Ianto liked almost everything and narrowing it down from that point alone was impossible.

Jack turned back to see Ianto sitting at the dining table. Leaning on the dining table, actually, with his chin on his arms and staring sadly at the table.

“What do you want to eat?” Jack asked him. “Pancakes? Crepes? Oatmeal? Fruit?”

Ianto simply sighed a dramatic sigh, rolling his head so that his cheek rested on the crook of one of his elbows. Jack went and sat in the chair beside him, placing a hand in his hair and gently running his fingers through it. So soft.

“I know you’ll miss her,” Jack said. “I will too. But she’ll be ok. I promise.”

Ianto sighed again, his eyes locking onto Jack with despondence and sorrow. Jack leaned forward and kissed the upward facing cheek. Then he stood, ruffling Ianto’s hair a bit.

“Let’s go with pancakes,” he decided. “Pancakes might cheer you up.”

Soon enough he had cakes on the griddle and plates in his hand. He flipped a pancake a few times, deciding that it was golden enough on both ends. He plated the batch and split them nearly evenly between himself and Ianto, giving Ianto an extra one of his. Ianto was at the table, already having chowed down most of the berries that Jack had set out to eat with the pancakes. Jack stole the last five left in the bowl before Ianto could eat those too.

Ianto was, if not happier, then at least in better spirits when they finished the pancakes. He helped Jack wash the plates and the bowl, while Jack tackled the griddle by himself as he prepared water for his coffee. Ianto finished before Jack did, so as Jack was working on scrubbing the remnants of pancake batter from the griddle, he felt a chin rest on his shoulder. Jack smiled and rinsed the griddle.

“Hi, handsome.”

Jack turned off the tap and set the griddle aside to dry, then turned around and captured Ianto in an embrace. He pressed his forehead to Ianto’s and stared into those wide, blue eyes. They looked relatively less sad now as they gazed back into Jack’s with equal intensity. Fuck, Jack loved that man.

“Why don’t you get ready to go back outside?” Jack suggested after a while.

Ianto perked up at that, wriggling free of Jack’s arms.

“Remember to put on a coat,” Jack called after him as he made his way to the mudroom. “Mister Gyles was here this early because it’s going to rain later.”

Leaning against the counter, Jack listened for the telltale signs of Ianto pulling on his boots and coat. When he was satisfied that both were being slipped on, he turned and began to make his coffee. The water was already boiling, and he just had to dump the coffee-powder in. The current form of making coffee was less of an art than the way Ianto used to make it back in the hub.

A shuffling noise came from the mudroom, and Jack finished adding the powder and turned around. Ianto was waiting expectantly in the small entry from the mudroom to the kitchen-dining-living room. Jack smiled at him.

“Go on ahead,” he said. “I’m going to prepare the garden for the rains. I’ll meet you in the fields later, ok?”

Jack returned to his coffee, dumping it from the pot into a canteen to drink outside. Another shuffling noise came from the direction of the mudroom. Turning back around, he found Ianto frowning at him.

“What’s wrong?”

Ianto frowned harder.

“Oh,” Jack said knowingly. “Well, come say goodbye then!”

Ianto’s frown became a glare as he pointed angrily down at his feet. Jack looked down at them and smiled. Right. Per Jack’s own rule, no boots outside the mudroom.

“You follow just about every rule but the garden rule, don’t you?”

Ianto stopped frowning and started grinning, and Jack crossed the large room to give him a hug and a kiss.

“If it starts raining and it gets too hard, come back home.” Jack kissed the tip of Ianto’s nose just to see him crinkle it up as he grinned. “I love you.”

Ianto’s grin grew even wider. Jack’s own smile matched his, and he kissed him once more before letting him go. Ianto had already started to leave before Jack remembered something else.

“Make sure you don’t let Owen…”

The door had already slammed shut behind Ianto.

“…knock you over again,” Jack finished, shaking his head to himself. “Guess I’m washing mud out of your hair again.”

He chuckled at the thought of the last time Ianto had come home slathered in mud, grinning so hard that it looked like someone would have to pry the smile off his face with a crowbar. Jack did not understand _at all_ why Ianto loved that damn goat so much.

Jack took his coffee and put on his own boots and coat, then went outside to prepare the garden for the rains.

The winds had picked up since that morning. Jack instantly regretted not starting to prep his garden earlier. Three months of wind and rain were detrimental to his longbeans. He started staking a few plants to ensure they wouldn’t tear up from the ground or bend and snap from the winds. At one point he accidentally smeared dirt on his face and thought about hypocrisies.

Around midday it started to gently rain. Jack didn’t mind it. Back on his home world, it rarely rained. A few times a year there were thunderstorms, and that was all. It rained like this in Cardiff, and Jack liked that, but he never got the chance to truly enjoy it unless he was on a rooftop somewhere late at night.

It was sometime in the afternoon, as Jack was finishing staking his peppers, when it began to truly pick up. Jack could tolerate it for a few minutes, but after a while it became to be too much. Jack picked up his tools and his empty canteen and headed towards the fields, calling for Ianto a few times as he did. It was pointless because there was no way Ianto could hear him over the wind and through the rain, but Jack had to try.

After a little bit of calling, he turned around and headed back home, hoping Ianto would figure out himself that it was getting to be too much. The goats would probably head to the shelter on the closest hill, and Jack figured Ianto would follow them there at the very least.

Just as he was taking off his own boots and coat, the door swung open to reveal Ianto. Jack looked up at him and he grinned down at Jack. There was mud on his coat and a bruise on his forehead.

“Oh great,” Jack groaned. “You let him knock you over again, didn’t you?”

Ianto grinned some more. There was a speck of dirt on his teeth. Jack stood and swiped it off with a finger, and Ianto reflexively ran his tongue over his teeth when the finger retracted with the dirt.

“It’s gone,” Jack informed him. “You’ve really got to stop letting him push you over. He’s going to maul you one day.”

Ianto just kept on grinning, as if it was little consequence if he got hurt. Jack shook his head.

“At least the rain got most of the mud off this time,” he said. “Stay in here and take off your coat and boots. I’m going to get some clothes so we can shower.”

As Ianto began to do as he was told, Jack tread carefully into the bedroom and to the closet, trying not to get the mud from his jeans on the floor. He selected a nice, cozy jumper each for both Ianto and himself. He was already planning ahead to the cuddling he wanted to do later, snuggled up under a nice big blanket and listening to the rain. If they got bored enough, Jack could set up the holoprojector and watch old Earth movies and their less old remakes.

When Jack returned to the mudroom, Ianto was waiting obediently in the entry. Jack beckoned for him to follow, and the two of them entered the bathroom and stripped. Ianto had some difficulty taking off his sopping wet clothes. With Jack’s help, they managed to wrangle him out of the clothes. Ianto promptly dropped them on the floor in a pile and stepped into the shower. Jack moved the dirty clothes farther from the clean pile, then joined him in the shower and turned it on.

Sonic showers where what Jack grew up with. They had a nice pulse that stripped the dirt and grime and dead skin from the body (and made Ianto’s hair so very soft), and they were even better than water showers, in Jack’s opinion. They were both more effective in their cleaning and much more soothing.

After five minutes, the shower automatically shut off, and Jack stepped out and handed Ianto his clothes. Jack dressed as Ianto did, occasionally stopping and stepping in to help when Ianto tried to force his head through the wrong hole of the jumper or put his pants on backwards again.

“Ok,” Jack said when they were fully clothed. “It’s been three days. What do we do every three days?”

Ianto stood and puzzled at it for a moment. Jack waited for him to work it out by himself. When Ianto started looking lost, Jack added, “In the cabinet…”

A look of recognition crossed Ianto’s face, and he pushed by Jack to get the beard oil from the cabinet above the sink. It wasn’t “beard” oil exactly, more of an anti-beard oil. It gets spread across the face to stop hair growth. Jack learned a while ago it was much easier to slather that on Ianto’s face every few days than it was to have him sit still every morning to shave.

“Only a small drop, Ianto,” Jack said as Ianto uncapped the bottle.

Jack had his hands ready just in case, because no matter how careful Ianto was, sometimes the entire bottle would upend and spill over his hands. This time, Ianto managed to pour out the right amount, which was great, because Jack did not want to go out in the rain to buy another bottle.

“Now rub it over your cheeks and chin,” Jack reminded him.

Ianto needed no further prompting- he slapped it on his cheeks and spread it around ferociously. Jack kept his laugh to himself.

When it was sufficiently worked into Ianto’s face, Jack and Ianto gathered their clothes, carrying them out of the bathroom and back to the mudroom, where they placed them in the washer-dryer to clean.

“What next?” Jack asked Ianto.

Ianto contemplated this for a moment, then headed into the kitchen-dining-living room and picked up a blanket from where it was strewn across their small and squat settee.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Jack said.

He took the blanket from Ianto’s hands and draped it over Ianto’s shoulders. Ianto lifted an arm, allowing Jack to step under the blanket with him. They sat down on the little settee together. Ianto sat down quickly, and the blanket accidentally slipped from Jack’s shoulders. Jack reached behind him for another blanket and used that one instead as Ianto brought his feet up and hugged his knees to his chest. Jack tucked him in his blanket, so he would be very snug. Then Jack wrapped his arms around the other man and kissed his soft hair. Ianto leaned into him, his head dropping down onto Jack’s shoulder. Jack placed his head on top of Ianto’s.

“I love you,” Jack murmured.

Ianto hummed a sound of pleasure and burrowed deeper into Jack’s embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

The best part about their bed was that it was possibly the coziest thing Jack had ever slept on, piled with the cushiest pillows and blankets made from the finest wool the Hendersen’s sheep could provide. Jack’s favorite place in their whole house was that bed. Yes, even when he was woken up by a body slamming into him and crushing him.

“Oh god,” Jack moaned at first, startled into an unpleasant awakeness.

He blinked a few times to rid himself of the sleep still left in his eyes and found himself staring directly into a pair of soulful blue oceans.

“Good morning,” Jack said to the eyes.

Ianto beamed, bright and cheerful. Jack gave him a weak smile in return, closing his eyes to regain that last moment of restfulness. He jerked back awake when Ianto attempted to shake him while still laying on top of him, which meant Ianto’s elbows dug painfully into Jack’s ribs.

“Ouch,” he wheezed, and Ianto stopped his shaking.

Taking a second to himself to separate himself from the pain, he inhaled and exhaled a few times before returning his attention back to Ianto. The other man was still staring down at him expectantly.

“What’s got you all excited?”

Ianto’s eyes widened more than what seemed physically possible. Jack reached a hand up and tapped his side gently, trying to get him off. Ianto did not budge, still staring at Jack with intense anticipation.

“Yes, yes, I’m getting up! But you have to _move_.”

With a huff of impatience, Ianto rolled off of him. Jack sat up slowly, wincing at the slight ache from his ribs. He cracked his neck and arched his back, wincing again when that cracked too. When had he become so old? Oh yeah. Back underneath all that dirt and rock as Cardiff was steadily built above him for nearly two thousand years.

Ianto sighed, long and hard, with the theatricality of some unnamed royalty. Jack stopped stretching and frowned at him.

“All right, what’re you in such a hurry for?” Jack asked.

Jack trailed his eyes along the finger that Ianto pointed at the window.

He shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Ianto jabbed his finger at the window again, the frustration beginning to show on his face. Jack looked outside the window again. The only thing he could see from his position directly below it was the tomato vines.

“You’re not going in the garden, Ianto.”

Frustration was becoming agitation and Jack stopped trying to guess what Ianto meant and started to think of things that would make Ianto that eager. Goats? They weren’t in the direction of the garden. The garden itself? No, Ianto’s still pointing finger suggested something beyond the garden. What was in that direction that made Ianto that excited?

Suddenly, it all made sense. “Oh! _Oh_!”

Ianto nearly sagged over in relief as Jack smiled at him.

“That’s right,” Jack told him. “I did promise to come with you to the market today.”

His beam returned to his face, Ianto scrambled off the bed and waited for Jack to get up. When Jack apparently took to long, he reached down and grabbed Jack’s hand, yanking him forward.

“Hang on, hang on,” Jack laughed, trying to get his feet under him as Ianto kept tugging at him. “Let me stand up, will you?”

Jack finally got to his feet when Ianto dropped his hand, taking a bit to stretch again and get all the blood flowing. Then he reached out to pull Ianto in for a proper “good morning” with a hug and a kiss.

“Ok,” Jack said when he had sufficiently kissed Ianto’s nose, forehead and both cheeks. “Find some clothes. Warm ones. Holoprojector said it’s going to be colder today, remember?”

Ianto opened the doors to the small closet and searched around it for a while. He eventually pulled out a red shirt that was not exactly appropriate for the weather outside.

“Is that something we wear when it’s cold?” Jack asked him.

Frowning at the shirt, Ianto deliberated it to himself for a bit, then put it back in the closet. He looked back at Jack for confirmation and Jack nodded encouragingly. Ianto went back to the options in front of him and resumed searching.

“Remember, it’s cold out,” Jack reminded him after a while.

Ianto settled on a nice woolen sweater in the end and Jack selected one for himself as well. They dressed slowly, taking time to make sure Ianto’s excitement didn’t get the better of them. Ianto had the habit of forgetting steps when he rushed. Jack did too, but at least he remembered to put his underwear on. That is when he wanted his underwear on, anyway. Today he did because it was, like Jack kept saying, _cold_. A brisk morning not unlike an autumn one in Cardiff.

They ate a quick oatmeal breakfast. Ianto dumped a lot of cinnamon in his and Jack tried not to think about how that would taste. Certainly that much cinnamon had to be disgusting. Ianto didn’t seem to think so though, so Jack kept his thoughts to himself.

“Boots and coat,” Jack told Ianto when they had finished clearing up after breakfast.

Ianto quickly fled to the mudroom, Jack following slowly behind, smiling to himself. Jack enjoyed the market. It had peaceful vibes in parts and excitable, bustling energy in others. No matter what mood Jack was in, there would always be an area to reflect it. Plus, he’d grown close enough with a few of the vendors, and it was always lovely to see them. And to top that all off, anything sold at the market was nothing less than superb. From the food to the produce to the drinks to the crafts to the art, all of it was absolutely spectacular. Jack would stand for hours admiring Tevin Harold’s woodcarvings if he could- Ianto would never let him, though. While Ianto was content to stay in one place and do one thing all day when it came to watching goats, he never liked to stay in one place too long at the market. Jack didn’t know what it was. He assumed it was either that Ianto knew he had tasks to fulfil and wanted to get them done as quickly as possible, or that Ianto was simply overstimulated with all of the sights and sounds and scents that he wanted to keep on moving and experience everything right away. Either way, Jack didn’t mind. If he really wanted to admire the woodcarvings, he would come back on nice day when Ianto was fine handling the goats on his own.

Today, Jack got the general gist of “hurry up!” from Ianto’s quick movements. He was so excitable that his fingers fumbled quite a lot trying to get his coat on, but he refused to let Jack help this time. Jack saw little point in telling him that it would be faster if Jack helped- for starters, it was always good for Ianto to claim some independence. He didn’t have much of it anymore. And it gave Jack time to put on his own boots and coat at a more normal pace. 

Jack folded his arms and watched as Ianto finally got his coat done. Ianto grinned eagerly at Jack then and Jack couldn’t help but smile back. Jack picked up their bags, gave Ianto a kiss, and then took his hand. They left the house together and made their way to the market.

They (along with Grette and her husband) lived the farthest from the town in their direction. It took an hour and a half one way to get to the edges of the town, and then another twenty minutes to reach the town center, where the marketplace stood. The paved walkways didn’t start getting proper until halfway through the town, as the houses condensed more and more.

Along the way, they stopped twice. Both times they had spotted one of their goats in a yard or a small barn. Ianto tugged on Jack’s hand and pointed at them each time, and Jack smiled. Both John and Smith looked cared for and well looked after, so that pleased him greatly.

“We have to keep going,” Jack reminded him as Ianto stared forlornly at Smith.

Ianto sighed. Jack kissed the side of his head.

They continued on their journey and made it to the market at just the right time.

“Ok,” Jack told him as they stopped at the outskirts. “Do you remember what we need?”

Ianto didn’t acknowledge him, too busy staring out excitedly at the stalls.

“Ianto,” Jack said, rubbing a hand over his arm.

Ianto blinked back over to him, smile disappearing and eyes widening into seriousness.

“Do you remember what we need?” Jack asked him again.

He blinked once more in affirmation.

“Beans, sprouts, sugar, flour, some canned soups, a few loaves, berries, and things from Troy’s stall,” Jack listed off, just in case. “And we could do with a few more candles and some spices.”

That was all they needed this trip, which was good. The bags tended to get a bit heavy when they weighed more than the haul they’d have this time.

Ianto pulled Jack’s hand gently, a sign he understood and was ready to go.

“Ok,” Jack said, squeezing Ianto’s hand back. “Let’s go.”

They entered the marketplace and immediately went to Enid’s bean stand. Jack would normally go to this stall last, because then Ianto would have less time to eat all of the beans, but Jack didn’t mind this time. He needed Ianto to be somewhat distracted for when he needed a lot of time to pick out the right candles and spices. And they didn’t really need beans right now, anyway. They had plenty still from last time.

“Morning Enid,” Jack said as they stopped.

“Oh good morning Jack,” the elderly woman said. “And good morning Ianto.”

Ianto grinned widely. Jack figured Enid was one of Ianto’s favorite people solely based on the beans she gave him.

“Two scoops, as usual?” Enid asked.

“If you’re happy to part with them,” Jack said.

“Well, they don’t do me much good just sitting on the table, do they?” she joked.

She bagged up some beans and handed them to Ianto. Much to Jack’s non-surprise, Ianto’s hand instantly snuck quickly in and out of the bag. Jack had to hand it to him, he was lightning fast when he wanted to be- Jack wouldn’t have even noticed the movement had he not expected it to happen.

“Ianto,” Jack chided as he paid Enid.

Ianto looked unabashed as he stuffed the bean in his mouth.

“Oh, it’s no harm,” Enid said. “You’ve paid. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone like a proper bean as much as your Ianto.”

Ianto smiled at her.

“Still,” Jack said, “I’m holding the beans for now.”

The smile slid right off Ianto’s face and Jack received a surly scowl.

Enid chuckled. “Well, now you’ve done it.”

“You can have them later,” Jack said.

Ianto still did not look pleased with this, but he stopped pouting at the very least. Jack and Enid said good bye, and then the two men moved on.

The sprouts came next. Ianto was less likely to eat these on their own, so Jack didn’t mind letting him help. Jack went to go look at some heads of broccoli as Ianto picked out the perfect bag of brussel sprouts. Ianto was very good at picking out the perfect produce, as Jack had learned. Jack once more found himself thinking about how strange it was- Ianto was completely incapable of looking after and taking care of himself, and yet he was still incredibly intelligent about very specific things. At the hospital, Jack had been told to prepare for the worst. Well, if this was the worst, Jack was perfectly content with it. New Ianto was just as easy to love as old Ianto. Different, obviously, but still capable of taking all of Jack’s heart for his own.

“Is that the best one?” Jack asked as Ianto returned to him with a bag.

Ianto deposited the bag in his hands.

“Perfect,” Jack said.

He paid the vendor, who stared awkwardly at them. It made Jack sad, sometimes, that few people seemed to know how to act around Ianto. Their pity overtook their ability to see that Ianto was just fine living the way he lived and that Jack was equally fine having a partner who didn’t live life at the same tempo everyone else did.

The flour, bread, soups, and berries were procured next. Jack hid the berries under the beans- while Jack could afford losing the majority of the beans while he deliberated over candles and spices, they absolutely needed to have all of those berries still intact by the time they got home.

The next stall was actually one of the few stalls that was actually built into a shop near the edge of the marketplace. It was necessary, considering that it was a butcher’s shop.

Alfrid Yar was one of the most stereotypical old men. The ones that seldom smiled and had never married and was overall quite curmudgeonly. But that was on the surface. Jack knew the man to be quite soft when it came to, of all people, Enid. Jack knew (thanks to the two times Enid had come over for a dinner with Jack and Ianto) that the two of them were secretly courting, in a very loose sense of the word.

“Oh you two, is it,” Alfrid sighed the moment they walked in. “Selling or buying?”

“Buying,” Jack said.

“Right. Well. What animal and what cut?” Alfrid asked. “I’m assuming not goat.”

At that word, Ianto suddenly stood tall and looked alarmed. Sometimes when they met Alfrid, it was to sell off a few of their meat goats. Jack was still certain Ianto didn’t know what became of those goats, but Ianto was smart enough to know he never saw those goats again, not even in anyone’s gardens or sheds.

Jack cleared his throat. “No.”

They never ate goat. Jack couldn’t stomach eating it, knowing Ianto didn’t know what they were eating and would be outrageously and unconsolably upset if he did, and knowing that it was something he and Ianto once nurtured into being.

“Right, so what’ll it be, then?” Alfrid asked.

“We’ll take our usual half-month order,” Jack said.

“What good is that?” Alfrid grumbled. “It’s not like I remember everyone’s orders. I do serve the whole town, you know.”

And yet he was still able to get the right cuts of the right meats for Jack without asking any further question. Jack stored it away and kept that bag for himself.

“I’ll be around in a week to pick up another one of your… your animals,” Alfrid said, eyeing Ianto carefully.

Ianto didn’t notice, peering out of the shop window back into the market. Jack nodded, appreciative that Alfrid hadn’t worried Ianto again. Another good thing about Alfrid was that he also treated Ianto quite well. Meaning he didn’t treat Ianto differently than anyone else, save for the one or two times he was kind enough to avoided agitating Ianto.

“See you in a week then,” Jack said.

Jack took hold of Ianto’s hand again, and then they left the shop.

The candle stand came next, as it was closest. Jack surveyed a few candles, both in size, shape, color, and scent. It took him a while to decide which to warm and air their house with, but in the end, he decided on three good contenders.

“Ianto,” Jack said, “which of these smells the best?”

Ianto, who had been eating the beans, looked up from the bag and at Jack. Jack held one of the candles near his nose. Ianto sniffed it.

“No, hm?” Jack asked when Ianto’s expression didn’t change even slightly. “Ok, what about this one?”

That one seemed to intrigue Ianto a bit because he sniffed it a few more times. Jack offered him the third candle then, to test the difference in reaction between that one and the other. Ianto had a similar reaction to the last one.

“Which one do you like best?” Jack asked, setting the noncontender back down on the table and holding the other two in each hand.

Ianto stared down at the candles. He spent quite some time staring. Only his intense stare made Jack sure that he hadn’t gotten confused and forgotten what he was doing. In the end, though, he chose the second candle. It was evidently supposed to smell like a concoction of pine, and it was a lovely mint green, and Jack agreed with Ianto’s choice. He bought four of the candles and then stored them away.

“Spices next,” Jack said. “And then we go home.”

Ianto stuck his hand in Jack’s.

The farthest corner of the market was compromised of all the off-world traders. That which could not be produced on this world and yet was still necessary was made elsewhere and brought here twice a week. Jack was certain that the merchants made trips to other colony worlds too, but he had never asked. The merchants weren’t like the local folk. They didn’t care about reputation or politeness or any such thing. They just cared about their money. This was the height of capitalism on Tycho, and Jack hated it. Though if smalltime businessmen with uncaring attitudes that he only had to deal with occasionally were the worst, Jack supposed this wasn’t so bad.

Jack had to keep an eye out on Ianto though. Ianto usually did fine here, but every so often… There was a reason a small colony world was best for him- the stress of anything more fast-paced could get him anxious.

Ianto seemed perfectly happy this time, which was good. He ate his beans and watched with interest as Jack picked out the spices he wanted. He let Ianto smell a few when Ianto made the indication he wanted to, and once or twice he dipped his little finger into something and then let Ianto taste it. Ianto pulled a startled face every time, and Jack laughed. The merchant didn’t appear pleased with their antics, but as Jack bought every one he let Ianto sample, the merchant could say nothing about it. Jack bought the sugar from a second vendor, and then the two were done for the morning.

“Do you want some food?” Jack asked when they left that corner of the market.

Ianto slowly hid the bag he held behind his back.

“I know you ate the beans,” Jack said. “You don’t have to hide them.”

Ianto slowly brought the bag back front, still eyeing Jack warily.

“I’m not mad,” Jack said. “I knew you were going to eat them.”

Ianto grinned then.

“Cheeky,” Jack told him. “Ok. Food before we go?”

Ianto smiled more for a second, then stopped. A frown creased his face and he turned, looking as if he was searching for something.

“Ianto?” Jack asked. “Ianto, what’s the matter?”

Ianto didn’t acknowledge, so Jack had to walk around to the other side of him to get his attention again. Ianto refused to look at him. He stretched his neck, still peering around.

“Ianto, you have to help me. I don’t know what you need,” Jack said.

Ianto let out a distressed huff of air, finally looking to Jack. He seemed quite troubled. Not anxious, which Jack had worried was wrong for a second. Just… disappointed, maybe.

“Were you expecting something?” Jack asked.

Ianto looked back out to the crowds and booths. Ok, so he was expecting something. If he hadn’t been, he’d have frowned at Jack until Jack correctly guessed what the issue was.

“What were you expecting?” Jack asked. “We didn’t miss anything on our list, did we?”

Ianto did not take off after whatever it was that he might have thought they were missing, nor did he look desperately down at Jack or the bags, so Jack could assume that wasn’t it.

“Ok,” Jack said. “That’s good. And it narrows that down, but… what else did you want?”

Not food, because that had been offered. So if it wasn’t food and if it wasn’t something they forgot, then what was it? What else did Ianto like about the market?

“Oh,” Jack said, finally understanding. “Who did you want to see?”

Ianto looked to Jack, sorrow distorting his face.

“We saw Enid and Alfrid,” Jack said. “We waved to the Hendersens… Arti.”

Ianto’s face crumpled more in distraught as Jack landed on the right person.

“Remember, Arti isn’t here this week,” Jack said. “Had business off-world, remember?”

Ianto still looked unhappy.

“I promise we’ll see Arti next time,” Jack swore.

After a few painstaking moments, Ianto dropped the hurt look into a slightly displeased and sad look. Jack stepped forward and set his bags down, then took Ianto in his arms. It earned them a few odd looks, but when Ianto wanted a hug, Ianto wanted a hug. And Jack wanted to give him one. Odd looks be damned.

“So,” Jack said when he pulled back. “Do you want food?”

Ianto appeared to be pleased with the offer this time. Jack bought them some nice sandwiches, and they ate at a small table. Ianto wolfed his down quickly, and therefore sat and watched Jack as he finished his own at a more reasonable pace. Ianto seemed to watch Jack as much as Jack watched Ianto, sometimes.

“Ready to go home?” Jack asked.

Standing from his seat, Ianto began to collect his bags. Jack grabbed his own. Together they made their way out of the market and out into town, beginning their long trek back home.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it please drop a kudos or comment or something! I would love to hear what you liked!


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